


Literally Shut Up (and let me work, you asshole)

by Talinor



Category: Borderlands
Genre: Alive Jack AU, First Kiss, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-08
Updated: 2016-03-08
Packaged: 2018-05-25 14:41:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6199024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Talinor/pseuds/Talinor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He was so goddamn tired of that look- that <em>smug fucking look</em>- when Jack knows he’s winning by just getting a reaction. Not this time. This time he was gonna turn the tables.</p><p>AKA Rhys is 100% done and does something to surprise Jack.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Literally Shut Up (and let me work, you asshole)

**Author's Note:**

> //shrugs// this is really old but i liked it enough to upload it. hope you guys enjoy it!

It was pretty late in the morning. Rhys had already rubbed the sleep from his eyes, his hair already styled the way he liked it without a hair out of place. He’d gotten good at his morning routine with just one arm after a month or so of living at the old Atlas facility in New Haven.

It wasn’t really hard, given the fact that back on Helios he had to do most of his morning routine while his prosthetic was finishing up charging for the day. He’d just had to get used to going throughout the whole day without it. It was a weird experience, to say the least. Sometimes he’d forget and go to reach for something only to remember a second later that nothing was reaching for it.

Jack, on the other hand, still had messy hair and morning breath. The man looked like he just woke up. If Rhys knew anything about him, he probably did. Despite his messy appearance, the man looked absolutely smug about something.

Rhys knew that look pretty well by now. It was his signature ‘I’m gonna annoy the shit outta Rhys today for the hell of it’ look.

So it was gonna be that kinda day. Jack would say something as Rhys started to work, and keep bringing him off track until the younger man ended up frustrated and quit for the day.

He told himself that it wasn’t gonna work, not this time. He was gonna finish the blueprints for his new arm today, Jack be damned. He set his warm coffee mug on the old silver desk. There’d been quite a few left over when the two had gotten there, giving them the choice of which one they wanted to use. Jack had settled for a sturdy dark wooden desk that, despite its age, held its own pretty well.

Rhys picked his due to the spare compartments filled with robotic bits and pieces. Plus it looked nice. It had been heavy as hell to move, even with Jack’s help. He wasn’t the strongest, usually known more for being able to reach higher things than picking up something heavy. Even with a robot arm, he wasn’t very strong. He accepted it.

What he lacked in strength, Rhys made up for in knowledge (no matter _what_ Jack says). He’d only started working on his plans for a new arm two days ago, and he’d already had most of it done and figured out. It looked pretty good so far, with an easy but practical design to build.

He’d just gotten started when Jack decided it was time to start trying to annoy the younger man. “Rhysie,” The man said in a sing-song tone, a small grin on his face. “Cupcake.” Jack moved closer to his desk.

 _Just ignore him,_ Rhys told himself. _If he doesn’t get a reaction, he’d get bored eventually._ It was mainly how he dealt with Hologram Jack on a good day.

Then again- the downside to Jack being in the flesh was that he could do more than the hologram could. He could move to where Rhys was sitting, bending down until his chin was on the younger’s shoulder. He was silent for a moment, allowing Rhys to pull out the blueprints and put them on the cool top of the desk. Then he actually heard Jack scoff. He couldn’t help but frown at that, turning his head slightly to look at him.

“What’s so funny?” Rhys asked. The prints looked fine, but there wasn’t really anything else for Jack to scoff at.

“Check ‘em again, pumpkin.” Was the reply. “Scan ‘em with your ECHO, you’ll see.”

The algorithms looked fine, but… wait. For once, Jack was actually right. He’d fucked up a few decimals in some of the arm’s coding, messing up a few lines. He could fix it, but it was just a plain stupid mistake. The part that stung most was the fact that the other man had found it before he did. Just the cherry on top of the cake, really. Now he’d practically given Jack ammunition and told him to shoot at will. All because his sleep-deprived brain fucked something up and the older man caught on to it.

Jack stood up, staying at his side. “I mean really kitten,” He said casually, moving to sit on the desk in front of the other man. He didn’t even have to look up at the man to know he had a shit-eating grin on his face right now. He tried his best to ignore what Jack was saying, setting to work on fixing his own stupid mistake. “For someone who’s pretty damn smart, that was just a dumb slip-up. I know you can do a lot better than that, pumpkin.”

That comment totally did not catch him off-guard, nope. Not at all. “Guess I was just tired,” He told the man sitting on his desk, not bothering to look up at Jack. “Didn’t see the mistake.” It was a pretty weak excuse, but it was true.

Apparently Jack thought so, too. “Oh _c’mon_ Rhysie,” He could see the older man shake his head. “That’s no excuse for a guy like you. You didn’t think to scan it before?”

“Nope, like I said- too tired.”

“Look at me, kiddo.” His tone was difficult to pinpoint. He didn’t sound angry, but he definetly wasn’t joking around either. Despite the hard tone, Rhys continued to work. He set his mind to finishing the plans for his arm today and he was gonna do that. No matter what Jack did or said. No matter if he felt the other man’s mismatched eyes boring down on him.

It was a lot harder when he felt the older’s hand grip his chin, forcing him to look up at the face only a few inches away from him. Brown and gold eyes met blue and green ones. He could see Jack crack a grin at his deer in the headlights reaction.

That was _it._

He was so goddamn tired of that look- that _smug fucking look-_ when Jack knows he’s winning by just getting a reaction. Not this time. This time he was gonna turn the tables.

He didn’t give the older man time to figure out what he was doing as he closed the distance.

It wasn’t particularly glamorous, as far as kisses go. It was chaste, giving himself barely any time to notice how the other man’s lips felt against his own. Rhys didn’t care. He reveled in the glance he got at Jack’s surprised expression.

 _Who’s got the upper hand_ now, _asshole?_

Rhys pulled away first, humming contentedly and setting back to work. He could still feel Jack’s slack grip on his collar, but he knew the other wouldn’t strangle him. No matter how much he threatened to, he knew the older man wouldn’t actually act on it. If Rhys wasn’t there to put up with him, who would?

He couldn’t help but sneak a glance at the other’s face. Jack shook his head, shaking out of the slight daze he’d been in.

He’d caught him off-guard. Good, maybe he could get some actual work done now.

“Cupcake, did that-”

“Just happen?” Rhys finished, looking back down at the prints. “Yup, it did.” His words were casual, but on the inside he felt giddy. For once he’d gotten Jack before the other could get him. It felt pretty damn good.

“No no no, you can’t just brush it off like that, kiddo. We’re talking about what the hell just happened.”

“How about this,” Rhys told him, looking up to meet the other man’s eyes. “You let me finish my work, and I _might_ do it again. If you can convince me.”

“You’re a smug little shit, you know that right?”

“Pot calling the kettle black, Handsome.”


End file.
